Just hours after President Trump’s announcement that he intends to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords, SB 705 (by Senator Allen) to ban so called ‘Styrofoam’ takeout containers, came up 6 votes short on the floor of the State Senate.

As the LA Times reported last week, “SB 705 failed to pass Wednesday not because a majority of senators didn’t vote for it, but because a handful of Democratic senators choose the craven path — not to vote at all. As President Trump might say, sad!"

You would think that a 30-year history of successful local ordinances and hundreds of calls and letters from constituents would have had an effect, but Dart Container Corporation and the American Chemistry Council spent millions on lobbyists, campaign contributions, Super PACs, and deceptive ads.

Sound familiar?

We’ve been here before—with plastic bags and microbeads—facing off against some of the same special interests trying desperately to hold on to their ability to sell products that inevitably pollute our rivers, parks, and beaches. But don’t forget—we’ve beaten them before.

Here's how we win again:

Go Local! Local ordinances helped us turn the tide on plastic bags, and we need local action to lead again. Talk to your City Councilmember or County Supervisor about joining the 108 other local governments that have blazed a path forward. (Our staff can help!)

As this morning’s LA Times so aptly put it, “If such a law couldn’t pass in a year when California’s leaders were doubling as defenders of the global environment, it may take 100 more city bans to force legislators to take it seriously. So bring them on.”